Above Them All
by Captain Canuck10
Summary: One-Shot. Loki POV. This is an alternate story line to what might have happened when Loki was brought back to Asgard after the events of the Avengers. Warning: This is much sadder than the canon story and is rated T for violence, but don't worry nothing is too graphic. Enjoy!


Disclaimer: Thor and The Avengers are owned by Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Co. I own none of these characters or this world and have merely borrowed them for my own entertainment purposes. I gain no monetary profit from their use. This story is my own view of what may have happened in TTDW's canon. Kudos to Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Co. for bringing these awesome comics to life so well!

Above Them All

Though it seemed ages since he had last been in the great hall of Asgard, in reality it hadn't been that long at all. It had been about a year since his fall from the bifrost, his forging of an alliance with the Chitauri and the subsequent war with the forces of Midgard. The result of which has led to his current predicament. Claiming his birthright of ruling a kingdom proved more difficult than he originally thought. Aided by Thor, the humans fought back and handed Loki a humiliating defeat. The wayward son and prince of Asgard was welcomed back to his home not as a king as before, but as a prisoner in chains.

The golden hall remained unchanged in architecture and adornment but the air felt colder and unforgiving. All the courtiers had turned out for the return of Asgard's lost son. His return...and judgment. Though none spoke to him, their faces said what words did not. Their past looks of forced respect had turned to ridicule as he was led in before them all by two guards, chained at the wrists, waist and ankles and deposited before the throne of the waiting All-father.

Odin All-father sat waiting with a look of begrudging acceptance of the task at hand. Frigga was at his side gazing down at Loki with loving, tear filled eyes. Thor stood beside her, arm around her shoulders for comfort. Thor's expression was stoic, giving the impression that his patience with his younger brother had run out.

Loki's thoughts were still on Midgard. How could it have been that he was defeated by so weak a race? Could it be that he was not as powerful as he thought he was? No. He was a god...above them all. Born to rule. It was his right and again it was taken from him. Again it was taken from him by Thor. How he loathed him. How he loathed that others thought so highly of Thor. The first son of Odin was an oaf and a fool but only he seemed to see it, Loki mused. If it weren't so dire a situation Loki would almost laugh at the way Asgard is treating him, the one far more fit to rule, while raising up Thor, the brash, arrogant and far less intelligent of the two princes. Loki felt only anger at this display. Leave it to Odin to make a spectacle of his judgment. Humiliation was saved for him, the adopted jotun and less favoured son. If the roles were reversed, and Thor were in his place he knew judgment would be quick, private and probably not as severe.

Loki stood seething. Despite the chains restraining not only his limbs but also his power, he held himself with the posture and poise of the prince he was. His regal armor and clothes, still mostly intact after the battle, were the only remaining reminder to all around him of his rank and title. He would not be broken so easily, so he held his head high as the All-father stood to pronounce judgment...

"Well Father, your prodigal son has returned. How will you welcome him? With open arms, or will you cast him out and abandon him?" Loki taunted, testing the All-father's patience.

"What welcome do you think you deserve Loki?" Odin calmly answered, ignoring his son's lack of respect. He stood tall and dominant, looking every bit the king he was as he awaited Loki's answer.

Loki knew he and Odin had different views on the people of earth. He appointed Thor as their defender but felt they needed to rule themselves and not be interfered with in their own affairs by beings of other realms if it could be avoided. Loki felt he could end the chaos that is human nature if only they would have a higher being rule them. That higher being was him.

"I would have ruled the humans and brought them a lasting peace but my efforts were interfered with. I would have done more than watch from the side lines as they slowly destroy themselves as you do!" Loki answered hotly. He knew efforts at defending himself were futile.

"Whatever your motivations were, my son, you went about it all wrong. You knew Asgard's stance on Midgard, yet you disobeyed and tried to gain power through war." Odin's voice was authoritative now, "You allied yourself with an enemy force, took countless innocent lives, attempted on numerous occasions to murder your own brother and all to make yourself a king!"

"I was a king!" Loki yelled back at his father in name only, hating him. The rage on his face was unhidden.

"You never shall be! You have proven yourself to be disloyal, selfish and murderous...and unworthy of ruling any realm!" The All-Father boomed. Anger at his youngest son's recent actions and attitude reflected in his voice and his face. He pointed gungnir directly at Loki now. "You have betrayed your King, your family and your realm! You are guilty of all charges brought against you and I therefore find you guilty of treason!"

Odin's face softened only a little and he descended down the steps of his throne to stand in front of his fallen son. "But where justice must be served, mercy may also be shown," Odin explained, a slight pleading almost coming through his voice. Loki looked up at him, his expression blank and like stone.

"Admit your guilt and repent of your actions and mercy will be shown. You will remain prince of Asgard after your sentence is carried out and continue to be accepted and loved, here with your family." Odin offered.

Loki was stunned. He thought he surely would be banished immediately upon arrival to Asgard. His mind was clouded. His anger had taken over all thought that he didn't know how to ponder this unexpected offer. For a brief moment the clouds lifted and part of him wanted to give in, to go back to the way things were before all of this started. In a moment the thought was gone. No. This was just an act, a way for the All-Father to show how great he was. To show them all that he'd even spare the Jotun traitor after all he'd done. Despite Odin's words, Loki knew it could never go back to the way life was. His past will remain a part of him and all of Asgard knows of it. He wouldn't be the All-Father's pawn to gain further glory. Loki's heart hardened and his hatred for his father boiled yet again.

Loki's eyes glared into the All-Father's and with a sneer he spat at the feet of the one who had offered him mercy.

"No!" cried Frigga from beside the throne but was quickly embraced by Thor before she could take any further action. She buried her face in her son's chest and sobbed.

"So be it.", Odin accepted with a hint of sadness as he turned and returned to his throne.

The All-father turned once more to face his son. Again pointing gungnir at Loki he decreed, "Loki Odinson, in light of all these charges brought against you I Odin All-father find you guilty of treason against our kingdom of Asgard!" Loki was not surprised at this verdict at all and wished the old man would just hurry up and banish him to end this ridiculous facade.

"The penalty for this crime..." Odin hesitated, "...is death."

At this news both Loki and Frigga stared up at the All-Father in horror. Loki shuffled in his chains causing the guards to tighten their grip on him. Just as Frigga was about to plead for her son's life Odin continued.

"But this I cannot bare to bring upon my wife. Know that this is the only reason for sparing your life."

Loki scoffed and relief turned to anger. Spare me your pity and get on with it old man, he thought. He couldn't bear to be in the presence of the people he once called family any longer.

"Than hurry up and discard me old man! Banish me to whatever barren realm you feel and relieve yourself of your problem son once and for all!" Loki venomously retorted through clenched teeth.

"There are those..." Odin glanced at his wife, "...who feel you're not beyond hope just yet, that you can be rehabilitated and brought back to us." Loki couldn't believe his ears. They still didn't understand! He hates them all and never wants to go back to his life of living in Thor's shadow and enduring the favouritism shown to his brother that never came to him.

"You are not my family! You never were and never will be!" Loki raged.

"It is because of this attitude you display now, your stubbornness to accept help, your illusions of superiority over other beings...and for the forsaking of your family...that I sentence you thus. For the desertion you are committing against your family now, you shall be punished as a common deserter of the army! For your many acts of treason, I sentence you to indefinite solitary confinement in the deepest depths of Asgard, away from all family and friends, alone to reconcile with yourself your actions!", Odin finally declared.

Loki remained silent for a few moments. Again this was not as he expected. Desertion? Can I really desert from what I was never truly apart of? No. This was more lies of Odin, meant to further humiliate him. He knew the punishment for desertion. At that realization he sprung to life.

"You can't do this to me!" Loki cried as he pulled frantically against his bonds stepping forward, only to be grabbed by the guards and restrained. "I am a Prince of Asgard! Not a common soldier!"

"Enough!" Odin commanded silencing the hall. "You are a condemned criminal now, and will be treated as such! Take him to the training yard!"

Eyes wide in disbelief, Loki was dragged out of the hall fighting his captors all the way. "No, you cannot do this to me! I am a Prince...I was a King!"

As the giant gold doors closed after Loki and his entourage, Odin sat down, face downcast as he thought about the man his youngest son had become. Frigga turned to him with her tear stained face.

"Are you sure this is wise my husband? Will this not harden Loki even further and push him out of our reach?" She asked.

He turned to his wife and wiped the tears from her cheeks lovingly, "I fear if we don't do this, he will never be broken down to be built back up. His mind will continue to dwell on his poisonous thoughts and we will never have our son back." With that he rose, and led the way out of the hall followed by Frigga, Thor and the rest of the court.

* * *

Loki was livid, led away to a brutal injustice and with no hope of getting away. He felt helpless. When the doors closed on them he stopped his vain struggle against the guards, allowing himself to be dragged along. The journey was not as long as he'd hoped. It was only a few minutes before they reached the familiar training area where he'd honed his combat skills in his youth. It looked the same. Racks filled with various weapons for sparring and practice, and various apparatus for simulating enemy warriors. For a moment he and his escorts stood at the edge of the yard. He looked up at the sky. It was a dreary evening in Asgard. Cloudy and dark, even with the sun still up. This type of day was uncommon, in more ways than just weather.

A shuffle at the other side of the yard interrupted his thoughts as he saw Odin, Frigga, Thor and what appeared to be the entire court flow out of the palace and surround the training yard. Great, he thought, all of Asgard turned out to witness the breaking of Loki, now enemy of Asgard. The sky grumbled now, turning even grayer.

He was jerked out of his thoughts as the guards hauled him down the few steps into the sandy floor of the training ground and into the center of the square. The murmuring of the courtiers stopped as the All-Father raised his hand.

"Loki Odinson has been found guilty of desertion. He shall now be given the prescribed punishment of 50 lashes, witnessed by those he committed this crime against!" Odin announced.

At that the guards detached his wrist chains from his waist and began roughly tearing at his armor and shirt. Loki, angered by this treatment began to try and push them away. "How dare you touch m'...!" but before he could even finish his sentence another guard rushed over to aid his comrades, putting Loki in a headlock and grabbing a handful of his raven hair jerking his head back effectively immobilizing the magic-less Loki.

"I'll kill you all!" he threatened, but he was powerless as the guards finished stripping his torso of every inch of clothing leaving him standing there in only his black leather pants and boots. Loki had never felt so exposed and cold, bringing his still manacled wrists around himself for warmth. That was short lived however, as he was grabbed by the guards, one taking each of his wrists chains and pulled him forward between two posts which normally acted as enemy combatants. Today however, they were aiding in an entirely different lesson. Loki's arms were stretched about as far as he could reach on each side and the magically enchanted shackles holding back his power were attached to each of the posts. He pulled vainly against his bonds quickly surmising that escape was not going to be possible. The sky was thundering more now and as he looked up rain began to cascade down, dripping down his face and hair making paths all the way down his torso. Loki fidgeted, looking around at all of the judgmental faces before landing on his father's penetrating, now unfeeling gaze. He looked at the ground unable to look into the god of wisdom's eyes.

They think this will break you, he told himself. They want you to beg for mercy and crawl before them. They want the God of Mischief to relent to their superiority, to be tamed and surrender. Never, he concluded. He brought his head up, staring forward defiantly, but meeting no one's eyes. In this time the two guards had each returned from the weapons rack, both with a whip in hand. Loki took his last deep breath of comfort as the All-father nodded at the guards awaiting his signal...

The first strike came fast and without restraint. Loki arched his back in reaction to the more painful than expected blow. He stifled any cry of pain. They won't get the pleasure of that, he thought. The second came as fast as the first, with less time in between than he expected. He fought to keep himself silent, flecks of spit escaping through his bitten lip. Pain tolerance was much easier when he had his magic but now, he realized how vulnerable he was. The third and fourth lashes came in quick succession and overlapped the previous two slices on his back. His head snapped back spraying rainwater off the ends of his wet strands of hair and a gasp escaped Loki's lips. He struggled against the chains, trying to move out of his attackers' range, but it was useless. By the tenth lash, the pain was becoming unbearable. Loki hoped something would happen, anything to end this agony, but nothing came...except the inevitable next blow. It came, and he felt his skin split under the lash. Nothing held back his involuntary cry of pain now. His eyes blurred, from tears or the rain he didn't know. He couldn't see clearly at all now but it didn't matter. The only thing he was conscious of was his unstoppable agony. Twenty-five horrific slashes now marred his back all seeping blood which flowed down his body forming red blotches in the sand below.

His chest heaved as the onslaught continued, expelling screams of pain which echoed throughout the whole yard. Loki's shoulders shuddered now, betraying his will to let no one know he was sobbing. Mercy, he thought. Reaching far into his clouded mind now consumed with this unbearable pain he brought back the memory of mercy. It had been offered to him before.

"F...F...Father!" he cried out, another shattering scream escaped him following another brutal lash.

"F...Father please! Mercy!" Loki screamed pleading, trying his best to find the blurry figure of his father in the crowd. Another blow, only his bonds held him up right now.

"F..F...Forgive me please! Mercy!" But his cries were answered only by silence and the sound of the instrument of his punishment slicing through the air. The chance for mercy had come and gone.

He continued to 'endure'.

_"Look at you. What have you let me become?"_

Loki gathered what little was left of his strength and raised his heavy head. What he saw shocked him. Standing before him was his former self, when he had reached his goal, albeit briefly, of being king of Asgard. The translucent figure before him stood only a few feet away looking strong, proud and worthy. Time and space seemed to stand still.

" Y..you did this." Loki gasped back barely above a whisper.

_"I made you the best you ever were! Stronger and smarter and now you shame me by giving in, by grovelling to them! Are these the actions of a king?"_

"I was wr...wrong." Loki countered barely believing the words coming from his mouth.

_"You disgust me! I was on top of the world until your weakness let me fall and now you are broken, never to rise again!"_

Loki's blurry mind tried to think of a retort, but none came.

_"Even your silver tongue is gone...your most powerful tool has been lost so easily...you are a broken and therefore useless man!" _A look of utter disgust showed all over the former Loki's face.

"...Yes" Loki relented through ragged breaths.

_"Yes!? What happened to you? Your dreams, your desires...your vengeance? These have not yet been attained!"_

"What's the point? I will always lose." He conceded... "I cannot follow your path any longer."

At this it seemed the other Loki had given up. "_Fine, enjoy the rest of your meaningless life in the depths of this world. You have lost." _With that he evaporated leaving the prisoner to return to real time.

The final lash came with particular brutality, as if to prove a final point. With not even the energy in his body to try and absorb the blow, all he let out was a soft whimper.

"Enough" Odin stated. At this, the guards approached the shattered prisoner and went to release him from his bonds.

"Stop," The All Father ordered. "Let him remain there this evening. Allow Loki to witness possibly his last Asgardian sunset. Take him to the dungeons in the morning." The guards did as ordered and left, along with the rest of the crowd leaving Loki chained, bleeding, broken and alone.

Although his punishment was over, pain still surged within him. He would normally heal his wounds magically, but of course, he was not even allowed that. He couldn't move at all without shooting unbearable amounts of pain throughout himself. His head still sagged, as he sobbed unashamedly. No one cared. Not one person appealed for mercy on his behalf. Not even Mother. It was her abandonment that hurt him most of all. Now here he was, all alone.

"My son", came a soft voice. Mother, he realized, she hasn't given up on him.

"Mother! Why have you come here?" he looked up with hopeful eyes. He tried to move closer to her, momentarily forgetting his current state he immediately gave up, wincing.

"To say goodbye", she replied. Loki's heart sank.

"But Mother, I'll be back! You'll see!" I can change! Loki attempted desperately. He panicked now, trying desperately to get to her, worsening his wounds causing new blood to seep down his back.

"I wish I could believe you, Loki. I want you to come back to us but right now that seems like a far gone dream. Your heart is full of hate and contempt for those you deem beneath you as well as those closest to you." She answered sadly, face downcast.

"But not you mother! You are the only one who ever cared! I could never hate you!" He tried.

"It is your hate for those I love that makes me doubt your love for me my son, but know that my love for you is unending despite whatever your true feelings are for me." Frigga finished. She reached out to cup his face in her hands. He moved his head to meet her but felt only a cold mist hit him as he went right through her.

"Good bye Loki, I love you." She said as she turned, slowly fading into nothingness.

"No! Mother, come back...Nooo!" He yelled to no avail. She was gone and he was truly alone. Again, tears flowed down his already moist face. The only one who ever loved him had left him. He had betrayed her trust. Now she was free to shower all her love on Thor. Thor, the one who wrecked it all! Did she ever love him as much as Thor? Who knows? No, she must have, he thought. But she had appealed to Odin for mercy for Thor. None came his way, when he needed it. She couldn't even risk seeing him in person to say goodbye! His heart hardened yet again. If she really loved him as much as Thor she would have come in person to see him. Liars he thought. All of them, liars!

As he remained chained there into the night he mulled things over in his head. Could he repent of his crimes? Could he truly go back to the way things were? Was always being second to Thor his lot in life and to be accepted? Could he beg for forgiveness from Odin, the one who drove him to all of this in the first place? Never, he concluded. He would be freed...one way or another...in this century or beyond...but he would get out, and when he does, vengeance would be his...

_"Yes, to Hel with them all..."_

The End

Author's Note: Ya, so this was my first completed fan fic. I had been sitting on this idea for a while and finally put pen to paper, as it were. Reviews are fine, just be nice please. I know I'm no pro. It may be a little short, I'm not sure yet, but I never intended it to be a long story. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading.


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